The Parable of Trust

2024-05-05 The Parable of Trust

14 For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and delivered his goods to them.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability, and he went on his journey.

Matthew 25:14 – 15

 

World English Bible

12 So He said to them, 'A man of noble family travelled to a distant country to obtain the rank of king, and to return.
13 And he called ten of his servants and gave each of them a pound, instructing them to trade with the money during his absence

Luke 19:12 – 13

 

Weymouth New Testament

Wesley Methodist Church Kampar, Sunday Service, Matthew 25:14 – 30

This morning, for the first time after having read this passage numerous times over the last forty years, I realised that the Parable of the Talents, a name commonly given to the parable narrated by our Lord in Matthew chapter 25, is actually not a parable about how many talents are increased or multiplied by each of the three servants, but rather how trustworthy the servants have been in carrying out the work entrusted to them by their master.

My meditation on this parable brought to mind three observations about the Trust that the master showed to his servants and the kind of Trustworthiness shown by the servants as Trusteess, in taking care of the business entrusted to them. My observations are as follows:

Firstly, the Commitment of the Trust

The master was a businessman. He was from a noble family. When he wanted to travel to a distant country, he had to find some way to ensure his business continues to go on without disruption. He decided to entrust his money to his servants.

The account in Matthew chapter 25 tells us that he gave different amounts of money (or "goods" as mentioned in Matt 25:14, WEB) to each servant "according to his own ability" (Matt 25:15 WEB). In contrast, the account in Luke chapter 19 says that the master gave the same amount of money — one pound — to each servant (Luke 19:13 WNT).

Regardless of the amount of money given to each servant, the master had one purpose in mind — he wanted to entrust his servants with his business. He committed his goods, or money, into their hands to continue running his business while he was away on a long journey to a distant land. Luke 19:13b WNT tells us that he instructed the servants to "trade with the money" during his absence.

It was a commitment of trust.

Secondly, the Conduct of the Trusteees

We can see from the parable that the servants conducted themselves in two different ways.

Some of them conducted themselves in a trustworthy way. They carried out their duty to their master, to trade with the money entrusted to them. Regardless whether they were given much or little, these servants used their money to make gains by trading.

In Matthew 25:20, we read that the servant who was entrusted with five talents had gained five more. Further on in verse 22, we are told that the servant who was entrusted with two talents gained two more. They had proven themselves worthy of trust, when in the long absence of their master they had diligently carried on with doing the master's business with the money put into their hands.

Such was the conduct of the trustworthy servants.

In contrast, some servants conducted themselves in an untrustworthy way. They refused to carry out the duty of doing their master's business while he was away. They did not trade with the money given to them. They did not make any gains at all. The master's business came to a standstill at the hands of these untrustworthy servants.

Verses 24 and 25 of Matthew chapter 25 tells us that the servant who had been entrusted with one talent began making excuses when asked by his master to give an account of what he did with the money. He said he had buried his one talent in the ground while the master was away because he "knew" his master was a hard and demanding person who "reaped where he had not sown".

Such was the conduct of the untrustworthy servant.

Thirdly, the Consequence of Trustworthiness

The trustworthy servants were highly commended by the master. They were given a promotion to be entrusted with more wealth. (Matt 25:21, 23 NIV).

In both verses 21 and 23 of Matthew chapter 25 (NIV), the master told the trustworthy servants:

Come and share your master's happiness!

As a consequence of their trustworthiness, the servants became partakers of their master's happiness.

The opposite happened to the untrustworthy servant. His master called him "wicked and lazy" (Matt 25:26 NIV). The one talent that had been entrusted to him was taken away by his master and given to the most capable servant, the one who had shown his ability to use his ten talents to gain ten more.

Our Lord explained the taking back of the one talent from the untrustworthy servant with these words:

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Matthew 25:29

 

New International Version

What does this mean? What kind of consequence does this verse imply for both the trustworthy and the untrustworthy servants?

I have been struggling with this teaching of our Lord, both in Matthew 25:29 as well as in Luke 19:26. In particular, I ask myself why does the Lord practise such unfairness, that those of us who already have much will be given even more whilst those among us who have "nothing" to start with, even whatever little we have will be taken away from us.

Doesn't this tell us that God appears to rob the poor to reward the rich? God forbid that I should think thus.

Today I have come to a new understanding of Matthew 25:29 — that everyone of us who are trustworthy will be entrusted with even more wealth in the kingdom of God. And anyone among us who are NOT trustworthy, whatever little wealth we have will be taken away from us in the kingdom of God.

---

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us ponder over the gifts, the "goods" or "talents", that our Lord Iesus has entrusted to us in this world to carry out His business.

Are we living as trustworthy servants?

Are we doing his business in the kingdom of God while he is away? Will our Lord find us trustworthy when he returns to receive us to be with him in heaven? Our Lord told his disciples in John chapter 4:

"My food," said Iesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

John 4:34

 

New International Version

Let us also have the same mind as our Lord Iesus. Let us make it our food to do the will of our Lord who has sent us into the world, with gifts that he has given us.

Let us do his will. Let us finish his work.

The believers from Cyprus and Cyrene

After the disciple Stephen was martyred, a great persecution arose and many Jewish believers in the Lord Iesus had to flee to faraway places like Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch (Acts 11:19). There they continued to speak the Gospel of the Anointed One to the Jews.

One day something different happened.

Some men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and preached the Gospel of the Lord Iesus to the Greeks there for the first time. A large number of the Greeks believed in the Lord.

20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:20 – 21  World English Bible

We can make at least three observations about these Jewish men from Cyprus and Cyrene:

Firstly, they went with a Deliberate Purpose.

The men from Cyprus and Cyrene had made up their minds purposefully to preach the Gospel of the Anointed Iesus. They did not just go to the city of Antioch merely to trade, or to buy supplies, or perhaps to settle down in that new land. Instead, they preached the Gospel of Iesus when they reached Antioch.

It was not by chance nor by accident that the Greeks in Antioch heard the Gospel. It was by the deliberate purpose of the Cypriot and Cyrenean believers that resulted in a large number of Greeks turning to the Lord.

Secondly, they went to a Distant Place.

The city of Antioch (present Antakya) was a long way from Cyprus, more than 270 km by sea. It was even further away from the city of Cyrene (present day Shahat, Libya), a distance of more than 1,000 km on the North African coast. In those days it took much time and patience to travel such long distances.

The believers from Cyprus and Cyrene did not merely go out to a nearby village to spend a few days. They went to a city far from home, on a journey that was hazardous and fraught with great danger along the way. Perhaps they could not ascertain when exactly they would be able to make their way back to Cyprus and Cyrene.

They had to sacrifice much to bring the Gospel to the Greeks at Antioch.

Thirdly, they went among a Different People

Those men from Cyprus and Cyrene were Jews. Despite having believed in the Lord Iesus as their Christos, their promised Messiah of God, nobody among them had preached the Gospel of Iesus to any Gentile friends. In those days, many continued to hold fast the belief that only the Jewish race were the chosen people of God, that only Jewish people were called into the Kingdom of God.

It would have taken them much courage and conviction to preach the Gospel to Gentile "outcasts", to bring them into the Kingdom of God in the Name of Iesus His Anointed King.

Without them, the Gentile people in the city of Antioch would not have had the opportunity to enter the Kingdom and become part of the children of God our Father.

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed Iesus. Let us learn from the examples of the believers from Cyprus and Cyrene. As many among us as are called, let us go out to preach the Word of the Lord with a deliberate purpose, even to a distant land, among a different people

May God help us. Amen

God's Son, God's Rest, God's Priest

Tues 08Mar2022 10:30 hrs GMT+8

Lecture slides presented to a Methodist Youth Fellowship meeting back in May 2002: An overview of Hebrews chapters 1 to 10.

View link below:

• God's Son Rest Priest

Law of God, Law of Sin, Law of the Spirit, revisited

Thursday 17Feb2022

This afternoon in my New Testament reading, I am reminded of the teaching of Three Spiritual Laws in chapters 7 and 8 of the Epistle to the Romans.

They are:

• The Law of God,
• The Law of Sin, and
• The Law of the Spirit

The following verses taken from Romans 7 and 8 mentions the three laws that govern our lives with respect to sin and righteousness.

Romans 7:22  KJV  King James Version
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

Romans 7:22  KJV  Romans 7:23 KJV
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Romans 8:1 - 2  KJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:3b - 4  KJV
3 . . . God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

About nineteen years ago, back in March 2003, and again in April 2005, I preached sermons in my church on my observations of the Three Spiritual Laws above. Last August I posted my sermon notes, with some additional elaborations, on my devotional blog, link below:

• The Three Spiritual Laws (Mar2003, Apr2005, Aug2021)

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Iesus, let us walk not after the desires of the flesh. Let us instead walk after the Spirit, the powerful Presence of God which is poured out on us by our Lord. This is the Law of the Spirit. In this way, we are no longer bound by the Law of Sin, and we can fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law of God.

Three Spiritual Laws

Sermon notes. I delivered this sermon to the Kampar Chinese Methodist Church on 29Mar2003 and again to the KTAR Christian Fellowship on 27Apr2005. These notes have been in my personal collection all these eighteen years until today when I am reminded of them during my morning devotional reading of Romans chapters 7 and 8.

Three Spiritual Laws

Romans 7: 21 - 8: 13

Thought . . .

" . . . a sermon based on spiritual lessons which took me more than two decades to learn, mostly the hard way.  Of all the sermon notes which I have uploaded to this page, this one appears to be nearest to my heart.  My yearning is for all who read this sermon to be waken up by the same epiphany which I experienced, i.e. no longer to wait passively for some mystical, spectacular or unexplainable "indwelling" power to help them overcome the insurmountable power of sin working in the flesh, but instead, to work actively by the enablement of God's Spirit, to put to death the works of our flesh, to refuse to give in to "what we want" (Gal 5: 17) and to present every member of our body as instruments of righteousness to God. "

Introduction

7:25 "I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

In the 70s, many Christians explained the Gospel of Christ using the Four Spiritual Laws.   After believing in Christ, I came across another set of Laws. These laws were not composed or invented by a human author like the 4SL.  Instead, they are real laws.  They exist in our everyday lives.  They control the way we live.  They are spiritual laws which cannot be changed by man.  Tonight, we can read about these spiritual laws in the letter of the Apostle Paul to the church at Rome, in Romans 7 and 8. In these two chapters of the New Testament, the Apostle explains to us three spiritual laws that govern our lives.

1.  The Law of God

The law given through Moses in the O.T. It consists of moral laws, ceremonial laws and civil laws.  Altogether there are about 615 commandments, given to the nation of Israel while they were wandering in the desert after the Lord brought them up out of Egypt. Today, they are recorded for us in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Many of these laws are repeated again in the book of Deuteronomy , just before Moses died.

In the NT, The apostle Paul says many good things about the law:

7:7   helps us recognise sin.

7:12 holy, just and good.

7:14 the Law is spiritual

7:16 the Law is good

7:22 I delight in the law of God with the inward man

7:25 I serve the law of God with the mind (note myself i.e. on my own)

However, there is one problem with the law of God. Nobody can obey it perfectly, all the time. Nobody can become righteous in the sight of God by trying to keep the law.  Earlier, in Romans chapter 3, Paul quoted Psalm 14: 1 - 3, "there is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God . . . ." When expounding on this passage, Paul wrote (Rom 3:20) that by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The apostle James also explained similarly about the law: James 2: 10 - (read) - for whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.  Why is this so?  Why is it impossible for anyone in this world to become righteous before God by keeping the Law?  The answer lies in the next Law - the Law of sin.

2. The Law of Sin

7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; for what I hate, that I do.

. . .

7:18 For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

7:19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil that I will not to do, that I practice.

. . .

7:21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.

7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

The apostle Paul tells us that while our minds delight in the law of God, and while our minds try to obey the law, another law is controlling our flesh. In verse 7:25, this law is called the law of sin. In 8:2 this law is called the law of sin and death.  This law of sin works in our flesh. It prevents us from practising the law of God in our lives.  It makes us disobey the law of God.  In verse 18 and 19 of Romans 7, Paul explains that his mind wants to do good but his flesh does not know how to carry it out.  On the other hand his mind does not want to do evil but his flesh keeps practising evil. These two laws control everyone in this world. These laws tonight also control you and me. We agree with the holy and perfect law of God in our minds, but the law of sin controls us in our flesh. We have to say together with the Apostle Paul, "For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells…"

And, together with Paul, we also express our despair - 7:24 "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

Praise the Lord! tonight we do not need to remain under the law of sin and death. We do not have to continue as wretched men and women. We do not have to remain prisoners to our flesh. This is because the Lord God has shown his abounding love to us - by giving us a third law - the law of the Spirit of Life.

3. The Law of the Spirit

Romans 8: 1 - 6

1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

3. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

4. that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

5. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

8:2 says the law of the Spirit of life is found in Christ. This law sets us free from the law of sin and death.

Let me tell you a secret: God has started preparing this law for His people very long ago in the O.T., long before the law of God was given to Moses in the wilderness.  In Genesis chapters 12 - 15 god promised at least three times that He would give the land of Canaan to Abram and to His descendants forever. God promised that through Abraham all other nations on earth shall be blessed. And God told Abram that His descendants will be like the stars in the sky. In Genesis 15: 6, the Bible tells us that Abram believed God, and because of his belief, . . . because of his faith in God's promises, God accepted Abraham as a righteous man. On that same day, God made a covenant with Abraham to give to his descendants the Promised Land.

There is something strange about this incident.  Abraham was made righteous by God just by believing what God promised.  He did not have to obey any of the 615 commandments given in the Law of God through Moses.  In fact, the law of God was only given to Moses 430 years later in the Book of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers!

Another strange thing about God's promise to Abraham is that the word 'descendants' used in Genesis chapters 12 through15 does not refer to many descendants of Abraham. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the word descendants actually mean 'Seed' - one person!

Explain the following teachings of Paul briefly . . .

• Galatians 3: 6 - 8 - just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, " In you all the nations shall be blessed."
• Galatians 3: 13 - 18 - Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
• Romans 7:4 - therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

Conclusion

The Law of God (in our minds) - show us the holiness of God, the perfect righteousness of God and the severe judgement of God.  The Law of Sin and Death (in our flesh) - shows us the sinfulness of all mankind, the wretchedness of our condition and the powerlessness of our own efforts to fulfil the Law of God.   The Law of the Spirit of Life (in Christ) - shows us how to escape from the law of sin.

Like Abraham,  We need to believe in the gospel of Christ, by faith.  We need to set our minds (change our world-view) on the things of the Spirit.  We need to stop setting our minds on the things of the flesh. (Read 8:5)  Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to consider your lives seriously - have you believed in Christ? If so, the Spirit of God dwells in you. The Law of the Spirit of Life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Read Romans 8: 12, 13

"So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh  (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live."

Compare with Galatians 5: 17 NET

"For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want."

NKJV "for the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."

Let us make each day of our pilgrimage in this world a day of putting to death the (mis)deeds of our fleshly desires . . .

How shall we continue living?

I was browsing through some old sermon notes this morning and came across this sermon I preached thirteen years ago :
Kampar Chinese Methodist Church (Morning) 09Mar2003
Bandar Baru Methodist Centre (Evening) 09Mar2003

How shall we continue living?

Romans 6: 1 - 23

Introduction

Christians are often ridiculed

• for being easily forgiven by merely believing in Jesus Christ without any need for punishment or retribution and
• for being dogmatic about everybody as sinners regardless of how good or bad a person is.

Let us ask ourselves two questions for today's Christian living:

• verse 1 - shall we continue in sin?
• verse 15 - shall we continue to sin?

This passage from Romans 6 tells us that there are three things which form the basis for a Christian to continue living as a new person in this world:

I  He shall perceive himself

 - as alive to God

verse 11 - reckon (recognise, consider) himself as dead to sin and alive to God - through Jesus Christ.

The rationale for verse 11 is elaborated in verses 1 - 10, where the apostle tells us that as a result of being baptised into Christ we have already been

• buried with Christ  - verse 4
• planted together with him in death -  verse 5
• crucified with him  - verse 6

Likewise, we shall also be

• raised from death  - verse 4
• in his likeness  - verse 5
• freed from sin, will live with him - verse 7, 8

A significant observation is that Christ has been resurrected from death, never to die again - death has no more dominion over him  - verse 9

Hence verse 2 and 11, a Christian must continue living by perceiving himself as -" we have died to sin, we consider ourselves a dead to sin and alive to God, in Christ."

II He shall present his members

 - as instruments of God

verse 13 - instruments, and verse 19 - servants

There are teachings from of scripture which teach us how we should put to use various parts of our bodies:

A. Our Eyes

Matthew 6: 22 - the eye is the light of the body.
Matthew 5: 29 - if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away ...
1 John 2: 15, 16 - the lust of the eyes is one of the desires of the world which does not belong to God.

e.g. we are quickly evolving from a listening and talking, reading and reasoning people into a "watching and wowing" people - TV, movies, videos, computer games, even simple lessons for school-children are being embellished with bright, colourful, rapidly moving pictures accompanied with enthralling sound effects etc to provide the "wow, that's cool man ..." factor.  It is easy for our eyes to cause us to sin.  Are we gradually getting addicted to colourful visuals and computer graphics and animations, making us feel bored with merely reading, or listening or talking face to face? Do our eyes lust for the things of this world?

In contrast, Christians are to present their eyes as an instrument of righteousness for God's use in this world.

B. Our Hands

Matthew 5: 30 - and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off . . .

I'd like to tell you a story of a man whose wife was a gambler ...

• frequent quarrels, children neglected, a daughter who became mentally retarded after suffering from prolonged high fever while mother was busy gambling.
• she had a gambler's hands.

Subsequently, the man separated from his gambling wife, and he went on to marry another woman:

• took care of step children well
• planted vegetables, sold them at nearby market to supplement family income
• later, went to church with husband, bought a Bible and a hymn book,
• this good wife had a mother's hands.

Eventually the man passed away after a long battle with liver cancer.  By then the good wife was already suffering from cancer but she did not let her step-children know.  Last week, she, too, passed away after the doctors at LamWah Ee Hospital, Penang failed to save her.  When my wife and I went to pay our respects, at her house,

• her step children were ungrateful
• threw out all her belongings, including her Bible and Hymn Book by the road out side her house, even before the funeral wake began
• they had ungrateful hands

This morning, what hands do we have?  Do our hands offend us, causing us to sin?

C. Our Feet

Isaiah 52: 7 - "How beautiful are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings ..."
Ephesians 6: 15 - " ... your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"

Where do our feet bring us? to what places? for what cause?

Narrate: conversation with friend who is a direct sales agent, who commented on Kampar folks being greedy for "small benefits" - by walking all the way to a new housing area to attend Japaneses style sales talks, submitting to demands to line up, bow and make greetings in Japanese, in return for free gifts of household utensils, groceries etc.

D. Our Tongue

Matthew 5: 37 - " . . . but let your communication be yea,yea, nay, nay"
James 1: 19 - "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath . . ."

James 3: 3 - 8 - our tongue: a little member of our body, but causes great damage.  Likened to a small bit that turns a big horse, or a small rudder that turns a big ship, or a small fire brings great destruction. " . . . defiles the whole body, sets our life on fire."

Observation: growing up in poorer parts of downtown KL, heard frequent use of harsh words, condemnations, even some cursing, by angry parents on their mischievous children.  Today, the trend appears to be reversed, there is increasing prevalent use of harsh words, swearing, and cursing by young people, sometimes children, in public and among friends.

Question

A Christian must continue living by presenting his body as instruments to serve God - Have we yielded the members of our bodies to God?

III He shall partake his gift

- as everlasting life from God

verses 22 and 23 of tonight's passage:

• we are free from sin
• we have our fruit unto holiness
• as much as we received death as "wages" from sin, we now receive eternal life as "gift" from God through Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Let us recognise ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God through Our Master the Anointed One. Let us continually yield the members of our bodies to become servants of God and, in doing so, continue living by receiving, partaking together with all fellow Christians this gift of eternal life from God.  In this manner, we do not come under reproach of others.

Also: see my notes on the same topic posted in Dec2013

Shall we go on sinning because we are under grace?

The Paradox of Israel: the Torah keeping sinner

The Paradox of Israel: the Torah keeping sinner.

(cf Paul's teaching on the works of the Law)

This note was recorded on Sun 21.7.13

Reading from Isaiah 1:1 - 2:5

(1) the Conduct of Israel: they performed WORKS of the Torah.

Isaiah 1:11 they offered sacrifices of sheep, bulls and fine animals.

Isaiah 1:13 they observed new moon festivals and sabbaths

Isaiah 1:15 they lifted their hands in prayer.

[ but their hearts were not perfect]

Cf Hebrews 9:10,

". . . Those offerings and sacrifices cannot make worshippers hearts perfect - they involve only food, drinks and purification ceremonies . . ."

(2) The Condition of Israel: they have rebelled against YHWH.

They have rebelled against Him (1:2)

They have turned their backs on Him (1:4)

They have become completely bad:

"From head to foot, there is no healthy spot" (1:6) !

(3) The Condemnation of Israel: they are doomed.

They are doomed like Sodom and Gomorrah (1:9, 10)

Their hands are covered with blood (1:15)

The prophet Isaiah used severe words to describe Israel:

"murderers" (1:21)

"rebels and friends of thieves" (1:23)

Conclusion: In what way has Israel rebelled against YHWH?

The answer lies in verses 23 and 29.

They have refused to defend orphans and widows (1:23)

They have worshipped trees and sacred gardens (1:29)

What really matters is repentance from evil doings like injustice, oppression and neglect of orphans and widows. (Isaiah 1:16, 17) Otherwise, sacrifices are futile. Incense is an abomination. New moons, Sabbaths and holy convocations would be hated by God. Even prayers would not be heard by Him! (Isaiah 1: 12-15)

All these outward works of the Torah, the incense, the holy days and prayers are rejected by God because the people's hands are "full of blood" (1:15). In fact, such people are trampling His courts. (1:12).

Cf The Master Yeshua's rebuke against Pharisees who broaden their phylacteries (tefillin?) and say long prayers publicly at street corners.

Matthew 23:5 KJV

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

Peter Explains How David Understood His Prophecy.

(Bible Reading)
Peter Explains How David Understood His Prophecy.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In my previous post, I posed several questions about the apparent of failure of God's promise in King David's reign and that of his successors. The sworn promise of an everlasting kingdom stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River is yet to materialise until today.

Where is David's kingdom today? And who is his chosen seed?

The answer is found in the testimony of Peter on the Day of Pentecost as he addressed a large crowd of Jews from various regions around the Mediterranean.

Read Acts 2: 29 - 36 (NASB and LXX Brenton will be used in this article).

Let us look closely at Peter's testimony.

In verse 29, Peter addressed the Jews, his fellow countrymen, as "brothers", saying that he wanted to speak to them plainly about their ancestor King David. Peter began by drawing attention to the significance of the following facts about the renowned King David:

King David had died.
King David was buried.
And his grave was with them to that very day.

Peter than pointed out that David was not only a king. He was also a prophet! (verse 30). As such, David knew exactly what God had promised him - alluding to the prophecies recorded in 2 Samuel 7: 12-13 and Psalm 132:11.

Psalm 132:11, 12 NASB
The Lord has sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
“If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

Psalm 132:11 LXX
11 The Lord sware in truth to David, and he will not annul it, saying, Of the fruit of thy body will I set a king upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for ever.

2 Samuel 7:12-13 NASB
When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-13 LXX
And it shall come to pass when thy days shall have been fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, even thine own issue, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for me a house to my name, and I will set up his throne even for ever.

A survey of the first passage shows us that:
God has made a solemn promise, He has sworn, and He will not turn back from it.
God swore that He will make on of David's sons as King. (Psalm 132:11).
David's dynasty will continue forever if his successors remain faithful to God's covenant. (Psalm 132:12)

Similarly, in  2 Samuel 7: 12-16, God promised to make sure that David's dynasty will continue forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 NASB
Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever;
your throne shall be established forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 LXX
And his house shall be made sure, and his kingdom for ever before me,
and his throne shall be set up for ever.

Coming back to the passage in Acts chapter 2, Peter explains in verse 30b that David, being a prophet, understood this sworn promise as something that God was going to do in the distant future rather than something that would happen immediately after his own reign. See verse 31a.

It is because of David's prophetic understanding of this Messianic promise in 2 Samuel 7, later recorded in Psalm 132, he spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah in Psalm 16.

Psalm 16:10 LXX
because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
(Quoted by Peter in Acts 2: 27 and 31)

In other words, David's prophetic, messianic understanding of God's solemn promise of a son who would reign after him and whose kingdom would last forever is expressed in his prophetic statement in Psalm 16:10 that this successor is the everlasting Messiah whose body would not be left to rot in the grave.

Now, Peter points out, neither King David nor any of his descendants lived forever. Remember Acts 2: 29b which was stated earlier, that David's corrupted body remained in the grave until that very day. Clearly, the prophecy of the everlasting Messiah was not fulfilled in David's life.

Instead, this prophecy was fulfilled by the Jesus (Yeshua). Peter testifies in verses 32-33 that God had raised Jesus from death and this was witnessed by the apostles themselves.

Not only that, Peter also added one more point: after God had raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus had ascended to the right hand of God. (verse 33). Yes, the Messiah sits at the right hand of YHWH today.

In verses 34-35, referring to one more messianic promise from Psalm 110, Peter stressed the fact that it was not King David who ascended to God's right hand in heaven. Instead, David wrote of another, one whom David himself called Adoni (my Master).

Psalm 110:1 NASB
The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Psalm 110:1 LXX
The LORD said to my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Who is David's master (Lord)? Which descendant of David sits at the right hand of God Almighty today?

Peter gives the answer emphatically in Acts 2: 36 (NASB):

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."

Questions for Critics of Yeshua the Messiah

Reading from Psalm 89 (NASB, with LXX Brenton)

Psalm 89:3-4 NASB
3 I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
4 I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations.

Psalm 89:3,4 LXX
3 I made a covenant with my chosen ones, I sware unto David my servant.
4 I will establish thy seed for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.

Verses 3 and 4 the above psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite says God has promised that a descendant of David will always be king and that David's dynasty (seed) will be preserved forever. (The term "dynasty" is used in the GNT).

Question 1: Where is this everlasting seed today?

For the last 2,000 years why was there no king over Israel? Even after the nation of Israel was formed in 1948, why wasn't David's dynasty restored? And why is Israel today governed by a secular government instead of one that governs according to the Torah of Moshe?

Next, in Psalm 89: 20 - 25, we read that King David was supposed to be anointed by God and that God would empower him to defeat all his enemies, extending his kingdom from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.(see GNT version)

Psalm 89: 20-25 NASB
20 “I have found David My servant; With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom My hand will be established; My arm also will strengthen him.
22 “The enemy will not deceive him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 “But I shall crush his adversaries before him, And strike those who hate him.
24 “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted.
25 “I shall also set his hand on the sea And his right hand on the rivers.

Psalm 89:20-25 LXX
20 I have found David my servant; I have anointed him by my holy mercy.
21 For my hand shall support him; and mine arm shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall have no advantage against him; and the son of transgression shall not hurt him again.
23 And I will hew down his foes before him, and put to flight those that hate him.
24 But my truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 And I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

Question 2: Where is this anointed king today?

Did King David become that all-powerful invincible King promised in the psalm above? Was David himself really that anointed, chosen One?

Furthermore, it is written in Psalm 89: 26 - 29 that God will make King David his first-born son the greatest of all kings.

Psalm 89:26-29NASB
26 “He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.
28 “My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 “So I will establish his descendants forever And his throne as the days of heaven.

Psalm 89:26-29LXX
26 He shall call upon me, saying, Thou art my Father, my God, and the helper of my salvation.
27 And I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 I will keep my mercy for him for ever, and my covenant shall be firm with him.
29 And I will establish his seed for ever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Verse 29 reiterates the assertion made earlier in verse 4, that David's seed and his throne would be as permanent as the days of heaven, being established forever.

Question 3: Did David's seed persist?

King David had only one son who reigned after him, Solomon, who ruled over all 12 tribes of Israel for only a brief 40 years. (2 Chronicles 9:30-31). No sooner had Solomon's son Rehoboam ascended to the throne that Jeroboam ben Nebat led the 10 northern tribes to break away as "Israel", leaving Rehoboam with only the southern territory of Judah.

2 Chronicles 10:19 puts it alarming in a nutshell, "So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day."!

If David's descendant Rehoboam ben Solomon could not even hold dominion over the northern 10 tribes of Israel, how then can one call him him the first-born son, the greatest of all kings? (Psalm 89:26-29)

And how can we claim that King David has vanquished all his enemies? (Psalm 89:20-25)

Likewise, Israel today can't even take back control over the whole city of Jerusalem for herself, how can we say that King David has set his hand in the sea and his right hand in the river, alluding to his kingdom stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River?

Where is David's kingdom today? And who is his seed? The answer to these questions can be found in the testimony of the Apostle Peter to a large audience of Jews on the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2:29-36. I shall explore this answer in my next post.

One parable, two lessons

Luke 16: 1-14, Good News Translation (Today's English Version)

The parable of the dishonest steward, sometimes called the shrewd manager, recorded in the passage above reminds us of the universal admiration of business people everywhere for those who are shrewd, who succeed by cunning schemes and who can think "out of the box", so to say. Today, two thousand years after the parable was recorded, it does not take long for us to think of examples of such cunning people, some of whom may even be among our circle of friends and relatives.

This story tells of a manager was about to be fired by his master for wasting his master's money. In what appears to be a last ditch attempt to save himself from financial ruin, the shrewd manager secretly gave "favours" away to his master's debtors by fraudulently reducing their outstanding debit amounts in the master's ledgers. Naturally, the debtors were most likely aware and would have been very glad that this shrewd manager was doing them a big favour by cheating his own master.

Luke 16:1 - 12 GNB

1Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a servant who managed his property. The rich man was told that the manager was wasting his master's money, 2so he called him in and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Hand in a complete account of your handling of my property, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3The servant said to himself, ‘My master is going to dismiss me from my job. What shall I do? I am not strong enough to dig ditches, and I am ashamed to beg. 4Now I know what I will do! Then when my job is gone, I shall have friends who will welcome me in their homes.’

5“So he called in all the people who were in debt to his master. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6‘100 barrels of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Here is your account,’ the manager told him; ‘sit down and write fifty.’ 7Then he asked another one, ‘And you — how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand sacks of wheat,’ he answered. ‘Here is your account,’ the manager told him; ‘write 800.’

8“As a result the master of this dishonest manager praised him for doing such a shrewd thing; because the people of this world are much more shrewd in handling their affairs than the people who belong to the light.”

9And Jesus went on to say, “And so I tell you: make friends for yourselves with worldly wealth, so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home. 10Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones. 11If, then, you have not been faithful in handling worldly wealth, how can you be trusted with true wealth? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what belongs to you?

Note that the manager did not do anything new or unusual. Verses 1 and 2 of this passage tell us that he had already been wasting his employer's money. By working in cahoots with those (equally dishonest) debtors to cheat his master, he was merely continuing to do what he had most probably been doing all along, that is, to waste his master's financial resources.

This was the reason that got him fired in the first place.

Now, many who read this passage might be puzzled by verse 8, which seems to tell us that the master who had suffered financial losses at the hands of this dishonest manager, nevertheless, is full of praise for him. A closer look at verse 8 will tell us that the master's praise was not for everything that the manager had done all along, certainly not for how he wasted his employer's money, but instead it was for this outgoing manager's shrewdness in preparing for unemployment.

That is, the dishonest manager is praised for the cunning way by which he cheated his employer one last time to secure new business friendships just before he had to leave his employment for good. Those "happy debtors" whom he had secretly helped would become his much needed friends who may in turn be able to help him find his next job. As such, the master's praise is not the usual praise we hear from bosses about good employees, but rather it is more of a salute, a recognition, some kind of admiration for the awesome way in which this shrewd, cunning, "out of the box" individual who knew how to survive in a cut throat business world.

(Looks like things didn't change much after two thousand years, did they?)

To readers who speak Cantonese Chinese dialect, it is similar to the Hong Kong Cantonese expression, that the manager is "Hoh geng" or "Sye Ley" or "Ley hoy", or the Malaysian slang, "he is so terror man", all of which roughly means this manager is so cunningly awesome.

So what was the Messiah trying to teach here? What lesson was our Lord bringing to his audience that day? What can we learn from this rather puzzling parable?

While each of the other parables generally carry only one lesson, this parable appears to convey TWO lessons for its readers.

The First Lesson

The first lesson is found in verse 9, where the Lord Iesus tells us to "make friends for yourselves with worldly wealth, so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home". Note that this statement by no means teaches us to cheat. Instead, it tells us to make friends who will welcome us in our eternal home.

And it teaches us to do so by making good use of our earthly wealth. This earthly wealth does not belong to us (for we can't take it with us after we die), just as the master's wealth in this parable did not belong to the dishonest manager. This earthly wealth will one day fail. It will "give out", verse 9 says, just as the dishonest manager's means of living failed when he got fired by his master.

Brothers and sisters who obey Iesus the Messiah, let us ponder over our earthly wealth which we can't take with us to our eternal homes. Let us take a good look at all the money we have, money which will eventually fail us. Let us consider how we can make better use of our earthly riches to make heavenly friends.

Perhaps we can start by donating our money to the poor. Perhaps we can win more orphans and widows to heavenly friendship by sharing our earthly wealth with them. Or perhaps, we can win eternal friends by giving away our temporal riches to the homeless, the refugees and the destitute in the Name of our Lord Iesus the Messiah.

Like the shrewd manager, let us use money which we can't take with us to win friends who can abide with us, friends who will "receive" us in our eternal home after we this temporary wealth fails us. This is the first lesson from this parable.

The Second Lesson

There is a second lesson conveyed by this parable of our Messiah. It is found in verse 10, "Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones."

This second lesson seems to contrast greatly with the first lesson, in that, whilst the first lesson in verse 9 teaches us to adopt the plan of the shrewd manager in making "eternal" friends, this second lesson in verse 10 teaches us to avoid the practice of the same manager in being unfaithful to his master in the course of running the day-to-day business, of doing "small things", as it were.

Verse 10 tells us to be faithful managers. It warns us against being unfaithful towards our Lord, as this dishonest manager had been towards his master. And it reminds us to start being faithful with the "small things" in our present sojourn here in this world.

According to verses 11 and 12, these small things comprise the money, wealth and possessions we have in this earthly that does not actually belong to us in the first place, but instead "belongs to someone else", that is, to our Creator, our Father in Heaven.

Luke 16: 11, 12 GNT
If, then, you have not been faithful in handling worldly wealth, how can you be trusted with true wealth? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what belongs to you?

Brothers and sisters, let us prove ourselves in the sight of God our Father, as people who are faithful in the "small things" of this world, so that He will give to us the glorious wealth that really belongs to us in our eternal home eventually.

May the Grace of our Lord Iesus the Anointed One, who made the once for all Atonement for the sin of the whole world, who was raised from the dead by Yehovah God Almighty, and was seated by the right hand of God, be with us from today onwards, helping us to become faithful stewards of earthly money which  does not belong to us, to win many heavenly friends who will abide with us in our eternal home. Amen and Amen.

The New Way of the Spirit

Dear brothers and sisters, here are some observations that I have made during my devotions about a year ago.

The Good News of the New Testament
- the new way of the Spirit vs the old way of the written Instructions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The apostle Paul writes in his epistle to the Romans that those who have believed in the Lord Jesus the Messiah have three distinct characteristics in the new covenant with God.

Before I go on however, I'd like to point out that the epistles referenced in this article were written by Paul in typical Jewish midrashic style. Midrash is a Jewish approach to exegesis, which mainly focuses on deep meanings and comparative investigation of Biblical texts. (A brief commentary on interpretation of Old Testament scripture in the early NT times can be found at the end of this article)*

Here are three characteristics:

(I) Believers in the Messiah are Freed from Condemnation of the Law.

Rom. 7:6 GNT
"Now, however, we are free from the Law
because we died to that which once held us prisoners.
No longer do we serve in the OLD WAY of the written Law (or Instructions)
but in the NEW WAY of the Spirit."

This verse tells us that the written Instructions once held us captives, that they constitute an old way of serving God and that they are replaced by a new way, simply described as the way of the Spirit.

We must note, however, that this assertion by no means imply that Believers are to abandon or to disregard the teachings of the Law of Moses. It does not, for example, gives us license to kill, to steal or to commit adultery. Being free from the Law certainly does not mean being free to bear false witness or to covet our neighbours' possessions. Paul wrote in Romans 3:31, "Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law." (NASB)

Likewise, whist we are free from the condemnation of the Law, we are nonetheless reminded to use the Law, along with the Writings and the Prophets (all Scriptures), to instruct, to reprove, to correct and to train ourselves in righteousness, so that we are properly equipped to perform good works.  Paul wrote to Timothy in his 2nd epistle,

2 Tim 3:15,17 GNT
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful[a] for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, 17 so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.

Yes, we Believers serve our Heavenly Father in the new way of His Spirit working within us, no longer by the old way of the written Instructions outside of us. And, no, we do not transgress the Instructions. Instead we uphold it.

(II) Believers in the Messiah are Enabled by the Power of God.

This assertion is further explained in Paul's 2nd epistle to the Corinthians, in chapter 3 for example, which tells us that believers in the Lord Jesus are enabled by God Himself to serve the new covenant, doing the work of God. It tells us that this new covenant does not consist of a written Law (Instructions) but instead consists of the Spirit of God

2 Cor 3:5b,6 GNT
"The capacity we have comes from God; 6 it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life."

Paul goes on to explain how this comes about.

He points out that the written Instructions were carved in stone (2 Cor 3:7). They came with the powerful manifestations of God's glory, a glory so bright, shining from Moses' face, that the Israelites could not look at it. In alluding to the account of Moses in Exodus chapter 34, Paul asserts that this glory was to subsequently bring death and condemnation to the people of Israel (2 Cor 3: 7b, 8), and that this glory was transient (2 Cor 3:11).

In contrast to the fearsome but transient glory that shone on Moses' face, the Spirit of God which is poured out on His people in the new covenant (Acts 2:33) gives life (2 Cor 3:6b). It comes with a far greater glory (2 Cor 3:8). It brings salvation instead of condemnation (2 Cor 3:9). And it lasts forever (2 Cor 3:11)

2 Cor 3: 7-11 GNT
"7 The Law was carved in letters on stone tablets, and God's glory appeared when it was given. Even though the brightness on Moses' face was fading, it was so strong that the people of Israel could not keep their eyes fixed on him. If the Law, which brings death when it is in force, came with such glory, 8 how much greater is the glory that belongs to the activity of the Spirit! 9 The system which brings condemnation was glorious; how much more glorious is the activity which brings salvation! 10 We may say that because of the far brighter glory now the glory that was so bright in the past is gone. 11 For if there was glory in that which lasted for a while, how much more glory is there in that which lasts forever!"

And finally,

(III) Believers in the Messiah are Full of the Glory of the LORD (YHWH).

The Apostle calls on the believers at Corinth to behave as a people who show the glory of God with "uncovered faces", unlike Moses who had to cover his face with a veil to conceal the glory of God (Ex 34:34, 2 Cor 3:13, 18).

2 Cor 3:18 GNT
"All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory."

This glory that Believers reflect is the same glory as that which shone from Moses' face. It comes from the LORD (YHWH), who is Spirit (see John 4:24). The Spirit of God in us transforms us in a ever increasing degree of glory, i.e. "from glory to glory".

Brothers and Sisters, let us reflect the Glory of YHWH our God by His Spirit in us.
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Midrash

• Ethnic Relations and MIgration in the Ancient World: Interpreting Judean Scriptures in Paul's time (available 2025-01-08)

Three Difficult Questions.

Three Difficult Questions (plus an Impossible One), Updated 15Jan2013

This sermon was delivered to:
KTAR CF, 24Oct2000 and to
Bandar Baru Kampar Methodist Centre, 24Jun2001.

Introduction:
Today's passage reminds me of some difficult questions that I have heard over the years:

• Children's questions: can God see every body every where?
• An atheist's question: can almighty God create something so big that He himself cannot carry?
• A philosopher's question: if God exists, why is there so much suffering in the world?
• A poor man's question: if God exists why am I so poor?
• A sick man's question: if God loves me, why am I so sick?

Tonight : what is your question? Do you have a question to ask our Lord Iesus Christ? In our Bible passage tonight, we read about Iesus' enemies asking Him 3 difficult questions. Verse 15 says "how they might entangle Him in his talk." We know that Iesus made many enemies while He was here on earth. He wasn't a very good politician. He offended many people. In verse 16, his enemies described Him as a person who "cares not, regards not" people. Our Lord's enemies would not leave Him alone. Verse 15 says they "took counsel together". Both verse 34 and 42 say "they gathered together."

Matthew 22: 15 - 46, cf Mark 12

(1) A Question of Loyalty v16 - 22
- from the Herodians - who admit no disloyalty.

"Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar?" v17

Yeshua's reply, "Why tempt (test) me, ye hypocrites?" he perceived their wickedness v.17
Asked for penny, whose image? Caesar's
v21 render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's.

What belongs to Caesar? What belongs to God?
Nobody had ever thought of that - they marvelled v22.

(2) A Question of Life v23 - 33
from the Sadducees - who admit no resurrection..

Verse 24 = Deutoronomy 25: 5, 6.
"In the resurrection, if there were a resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven brothers?" v24 - 28

This was a 2 -in-1 question. First, is there such thing as resurrection? Second, if there is, whose wife will this woman be?

Yeshua's reply: v29, "Ye err" - you think you are right, but you are wrong. Ye know not the scriptures - you think you know a lot, you don't know the word of God.
"Ye know not the power of God" - you don't know how powerful God is, that he can transform us into new bodies after the resurrection.
"In the resurrection - they live as angels in heaven."

Further: have ye not heard, v31, 32.
Exodus 3: 6 - "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ... "

God is the God of the living, not the God of the dead. One day Abraham, Isaac and Jacob must be raised. There must be a resurrection.
Nobody ever noticed that - the multitude were astonished v33.

(3) A Question of Law v34 - 40
from a Lawyer - who admits no transgression.

v36 - which is the greatest commandment in the law (testing him)?

The lawyer asked for one greatest commandment, our Master Yeshua gave TWO commandments.

First, Deutoronomy 6: 5 - you shall love the LORD with all your heart, soul and might. Compare Matthew 22: 37 says heart, soul and mind, but Luke 10: 27 says heart, soul, strength and mind.

Second, Leviticus 19: 18 - thou shalt not avenge, bear grudge against children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The lawyer could not see - out of more than 600 commandments in the Old Testament Law - that the entire law and the writings of the prophets were based on these 2 commandments!

(4) An Impossible Question from The Master v41ff

To the Pharisees (v 41) - who had not asked him any question.

"Whose son is the Messiah?" (v 42)

Now they all know that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David - son of David.
But King David wrote Psalm 110: 1 - "YHWH said unto my Master (Messiah) ..."

How could David's descendant also be David's Master? How come?
No one could answer that question. From that day, no one asked any more questions.

P.S. : I preached the above sermon to a small group of Christian College Students at a Chinese Methodist outreach back in October 2000. At that time, I believed in the doctrine of the Trinity and my answer to the Master's Impossible Question was, not surprisingly, "because the Messiah is God. He is part of the Trinitarian God-head. That's why King David addressed him as his Master" . . .

Today, 15 Jan 2013: Thirteen years have passed. I have become a Monotheistic Believer in YHWH.

About a week ago I realised that the answer to the Impossible Question can be found in Peter's message to the people in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Shavuot) in Acts chapter 2:29 - 36, especially v33 and 34. In his sermon, Peter explained that

- It was not David who went up to heaven (v34).
- Instead, it was David's descendant, Yeshua the Anointed One.
- - who was raised to the right hand of God, His Father,
- - who received the Holy Spirit from God,
- - who poured out this gift of the Holy Spirit "on us" (v33)

This Yeshua, who is crucified, is the one that God has made Master (Adon) and Anointed One (Messiah).

So why did King David call the Messiah, who is his descendant, "Adoni" (Master)? Because the Messiah went up to heaven to be at the right hand of His Father.

A Question of Authority.

A old sermon preached at Ipoh Garden Baptist Church back in December 2007.

Mark 11: 27 - 33

Introduction
There is a short and seemingly insignificant verse written in the book of Zechariah which subsequently materialised as a very significant event in the lives of the people of Jerusalem, witnessed by the disciples themselves.  This verse is Zechariah 9:9 -

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion,
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, a foal of a donkey"

Ps 118:25-26 : "O Lord, save! (Hosanna! -  a familiar expression used by the Jews in prayer) Blessed is the one who comes in the name of YHWH"  Both  Matthew and  John, when writing the gospels, recognised that what was written in Zechariah 9:9 eventually took place on the day the Master Yeshua rode a donkey into the streets of Jerusalem for the last time in his ministry on earth.

Earlier in this chapter 11 of Mark's gospel, we read that the Master spent the first evening in Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus whom the Master raised from the dead.  This place was about two miles SE of Jerusalem and should not be confused with another Bethany (also called Bethabara) mentioned in John 1:28 as a city located across the Jordan River where John the Baptist was doing his work. The name Bethany means "house of unripe figs". It is particularly meaningful in this chapter of Mark because we read that the next day as the Master Yeshua and his disciples were returning from Bethany to Jerusalem, they came across across a fruitless fig tree which  Jesus cursed by saying, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" and which eventually withered.

Another significant thing which the Master Yeshua did was to drive out the people who were buying and selling from the temple courts. He even overturned their tables and chairs.  After clearing the temple courts, he taught them from Isaiah 56: 7 "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations"  The chief priests and the rabbis were alarmed by all this.  The crowds were amazed by Jesus' actions and words. If something is not done soon, the priests will lose the support and loyalty of all the people of Jerusalem. So they plotted to kill him. They, the teachers of the Law of God, the priests who stand before the God in the temple lead people to worship God and to offer sacrifices to him, they wanted to resort to murder. Apparently their God could not help them out of their crisis. Perhaps their God was not available. Perhaps, like the the fool in Psalm 14:1, they were saying quietly in their hearts, "There is no God".

And so when the Master and his disciples returned to Jerusalem, they were confronted by the high priests, scribes and the elders, in the very same temple courts from which the Master has chased out all the merchants and their customers earlier. The enemies demanded an explanation . . .

1) The Stature of their Position
The chief priests, the scribes (teachers of the law) and the elders.  In the NT "scribes and Pharisees" would often be mentioned together, e.g. in one of Master Yeshua's public speeches to the multitudes during his final week in Jerusalem, recorded in Matthew 23, the Master openly rebuked the scribes and Pharisees at least eight times with the words "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees . . ."  The Pharisees belonged to one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees. The ancient historian Josephus estimated that more than 6,000 Pharisees existed in Jesus' time.

The  Pharisees were well known for their strict adherence to the OT Law and to numerous additional traditions such as belief in angels and in the resurrection of the body.  As such, they  were offended when the Master rejected their man-made traditions and were appalled by the Master's claim of being the Son of God and also when he pronounced forgiveness of sins to people who came to him for healing. The Master Yeshua had certainly antagonised a group of very influential people who held very high position in the community of Jerusalem.

Consequently, they formed an alliance with their traditional opponents, the Sadducees and the Herodians, and plotted to destroy the Master Yeshua.  It was under such a threatening set of circumstances that the Master Yeshua faced the chief priests, the scribes and the elders that day: for among them were people who wanted to trap him with his own words, and expose him as a heretic, perhaps some kind of cult leader, and hopefully to bring a charge against him in court.

So, when they asked the Master, "By what authority are you doing these things?",  they were demanding an answer on the basis of their high authority and position. It was like school-master who asks a student, "Who gave you permission to come into my office?".  It was a "show-cause" letter, and the Master Yeshua had to explain why action should not be taken against him for his alleged false teachings.

2) The Nature of their Question
In John 12:37 - 41 "Although Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, “Adonai, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of YHWH been revealed?” (Quotation from Isaiah 53:1)  For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said,  “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn to me, and I would heal them.” (in Isaiah 6:10)  John added his comments in verse 11, saying, "Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him."

-  to evaluate / analyse critically:  critical evaluation is an essential ingredient of being learned.  Even today, post-graduates students in universities are expected to demonstrate an ability to analyse, evaluate and criticise the research findings of other people.
-  the learned person will not be satisfied with what is obvious / apparent, but, instead, search for hidden / latent factors and underlying causes. It is what you don't see that matters most.
-  Thus, like learned people, the chief priests and scribes and elders, were not easily impressed by what they saw, but rather what they have "yet to see".
-
3) The Picture of their Contradiction
The Master Yeshua pointed out their failure to see their self-contradiction:
- they have forgotten to question the authority of another popular teacher who was also attracting a following of disciples i.e. John the Baptist.
- they have not considered carefully that their position and power hanged on the credibility of their decisions and profession -  if they profess that John the Baptist has authority from God, they contradict themselves by not having believed in John.  On the other hand, if they reject John's divine authority, they risk losing support from the people.
In verse 32, we read, "They feared the people" . . .

Conclusion
(1)   These people of high position were ignorant of two things:

Firstly, that the authority of The Master Yeshua came from God the Father:
Subsequently, in John 12:  44 - 50

"But Jesus shouted out, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day.  For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me"

Secondly, their own authority were merely from men, by constantly maintaining and manipulating the support of the masses to their advantage. In John 12: 42-43:

"Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they loved praise from men more than praise from God."

(2)  From these we learn for ourselves today, to avoid living the contradictory life of the scribes and Pharisees, who talk profess to believe only in things that are "from God", while their very position and authority in Jerusalem depended virtually on the praise and support of mere men.

Let us ask ourselves, "Is our life a contradiction?"

Do we teach in the name of God but do things in the weakness of man? . . .

If thus did God love us, we also ought one another to love.

Dear Christian Bro. & Sis,

1 John 4:11 Young's Literal Translation, tells us

Beloved, if thus did God love us, we also ought one another to love;

The Apostle John reminds us in verses 12 to 19 that God remains in us and His love is perfected in us if we love one another, that as we confess Yeshua the Son of God and remain in this love of God, we remain in God and God remains in us. Verse 19, in particular, tells us, "we -- we love him, because He -- He first loved us".

This reminder is reiterated in verses 20 and 21 as follows,

1 John 4: 20-21 YLT

20 if any one may say -- 'I love God,' and his brother he may hate, a liar he is; for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God -- whom he hath not seen -- how is he able to love?
21 and this [is] the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.

Brothers and sisters, how shall we obey this command to love one another? What shall we do to love our brethren whom we see, so that we can also honestly say we love God whom we have not seen?

Thanks be to YHWH our God and Father in Heaven, for he has given us detailed instructions on how to love our fellow brother. These instructions are recorded in the Torah of Moshe, in the book of Leviticus, chapter 19, where Moshe commands the people of Israel not to steal, nor to cheat, nor to rob, nor show partiality nor even carry tales against their brothers. The only difference is that, besides using the term "brother", Moshe also employed the terms "one another", and "neighbour" to refer to a fellow Israelite.

Let us read this passage more closely.

Leviticus 19: 11-18 NKJV
11 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.
12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I AM YHWH.
13 ‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.
14 You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I AM YHWH.
15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I AM YHWH.
17 ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I AM YHWH.

Notice firstly, that the above commandments of Torah, come directly from YHWH our God. Four times, in verses 12, 14, 16 and 18 we read the declaration, "I am YHWH".  These are not mere opinions nor suggestions of Moshe. They are not the word of Man. Instead they are the Word of God himself.

Secondly, note that all the commands forbid us to commit evil act against our fellow brothers. We are to avoid acting wickedly
- neither with our hands (stealling, putting a stumbling block before the blind),
- nor with our words (lying, swearing falsely, cursing the deaf, talebearing),
- nor with the thoughts in our minds (injustice in judgment, partiality against the poor, favour to the powerful)
- nor in the desire of our hearts (cheating, robbing, withholding wages of the hired workers)

Finally, we see that this list brings us to the command to love our fellow brothers and sisters from our hearts. We are commanded not to hate our brother in our heart, but instead to rebuke him if he has sinned against God (v17). We are not to take vengeance, not even to bear any grudge against fellow children of God's people (v18a).

Most important of all, we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves (v18b). This command is described by our Master Yeshua in Matthew 22:39 as the Second Greatest Commandment in the Torah.

When we look into the Torah of YHWH, we can now understand better the instruction in 1 John 4:21. By reading the commandments of YHWH in Leviticus 19, we can heed the reminder by the Apostle John,

1 John 4: 21 YLT

and this [is] the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.

Brothers and Sisters, let us love one another.

God's Son, God's Rest and God's Priest.

Lecture slides presented to a Methodist Youth Fellowship meeting back in 2002:

An overview of Hebrews chapters 1 to 10, entitled:

Teachings for these days.

Please click on the link above.

The Lord Jesus was patient with his disciples.

The Lord Jesus – a patient and gentle teacher.

A sermon delivered in Ipoh Garden Baptist Church on Sunday 1-6-2008

Mark 14: 27-31
cf Matt 26: 31-35, Luke 22: 31-34, John 13:36-38

Outline:
I The Lord was Patient with Their Intentions
- to be great
II The Lord was Patient with Their Ignorance
- about what was ahead
III The Lord was Patient with Their Insufficiency
- they would forsake Him.
Introduction
A quality that all teachers need, and can never have too much, is patience. Teachers are often made to feel that their efforts are futile – when their students don't appear to achieve the learning objectives after weeks of lessons, drills and practice. I've occasionally told my students that there are two topics in my subjects they should beware of: the first is, ""Playing guitar to cows" while the second is, "Teaching cows to climb trees." (These are popular Chinese proverbs used to depict the difficulty faced by teachers in trying to teach inattentive and unintelligent students.)
Indeed a teacher must be patient. In one of his pastoral letters to the young pastor Timothy, the apostle wrote, "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil . . ." (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Similarly, we see in this morning's lesson that our Lord Jesus was patient with the failures of his disciples. He taught them things which were too hard for them to grasp, and he waited patiently for them to come to their senses.
This account of our Lord's conversation with his disciples is also reported, with some variations, in all the other gospels. The following table gives a comparative overview of this event in all four gospel accounts:

The Lord Jesus predicts Peter's denial.

Mark 14: 27-31	Matthew 26:31-35	Luke 22:31-34	John 13:36-38
After the Lord's supper, they went to Mt. Olives	(same)	NIL	NIL
Jesus told them, "You all will stumble (be offended) because of me this night."	(same)	NIL	NIL
Quoted Zechariah 13:7, "I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered"	(same)	NIL	NIL
"But after I've been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee". Peter replied the Lord, "Even if all stumble (are offended), yet I will not be."	(same)	The disciples debated about who would among them be the greatest. After supper, Jesus said, "Simon, Simon, satan has desired to have you (has asked for you), that he may sift you as wheat [TEV to separate good from bad / wheat from chaff]. But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail, that when you're returned (KJV converted / TEV turned back), strengthen your brethren.	After supper, Jesus gave them the new commandment. Peter asked Jesus, "Where are you going?" The Lord replied, "Where I go you can't follow now, but afterwards"
Jesus told Peter, "Truly, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me thrice"	Jesus told Peter that before the cock crowed, Peter would deny him three times	-	-
Peter said (more vehemently),"If I die, I will not deny you!" All the others said likewise	Peter said, "Though I die with you, yet I will not deny you" All the others said likewise	Peter said, "Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death"	Peter asked, "Why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake"
-	-	Jesus replied, "I tell you Peter, the cock shall not crow this day befoe you shall three times deny that you know me"	Jesus: "Will you lay down your life for my sake? Truly, truly, I say to you. The cock shall not crow till you have denied me thrice"
Jesus' conversation with all his disciples.		Jesus' conversation with Peter alone

(1) Jesus was patient with their intentions – "who is the greatest"
The intentions or motives of the disciples were concealed beneath their claims and confidence of dying together with the Lord Jesus – most likely their true intentions were to attain glory and greatness. This is evident from the passage immediately preceding the account in Luke, in verses 24-30, which tells of a strife among the disciples as to who would be greatest (including Peter!).
Jesus had just finished his last supper with them – after giving them the bread and cup of wine, telling them that his body was broken for them, he told them that one of them would betray him to his enemies.
Instead of paying attention to his warnings – v.24-30 tells us that "they began to argue among themselves, who was the greatest. The Lord had to remind them that to be great, they had to be like a servant who serves others. And he promised them that they would eat and drink at his table and sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus was about to give his body and blood as the only unblemished sacrifice for the sins of the whole world – yet the disciples were preoccupied with their intention to be greatest among themselves! Indeed, Jesus had to be patient with their intentions.
(2) Jesus was patient with their ignorance – that he was in great sorrow.
The disciples were oblivious to the fact that their Master, their Teacher whom they had followed for three years was about to face one of the most sorrowful and dreadful moments in his life – a humiliating trial, torturous whipping and a slow death by crucifixion.
They didn't know, at the time of this conversation, that their Lord would soon be praying with great intensity and sadness in the Garden of Gethsemane, that, if possible, God would take this tribulation from him.
They also didn't know that Jesus was to be so sorrowful that his sweat was to become like blood dripping to the ground, and that an angel from heaven had to come and strengthen him.
So when the Lord Jesus quoted to them the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7, when he told them that all of them would stumble, that they would, literally "run away and leave me", he knew that they had no idea, not a clue of how grave the circumstance would turn out to be.
Such was the patience of our Lord Jesus. He was patient with their ignorance.
(3) Jesus was patient with their insufficiency – that they would all stumble and desert him.
Particularly with Peter, who stumbled very badly indeed. He followed Jesus from a distance. He denied three times, the final time with an oath, that he was ever acquainted with Jesus.
Mark 14:71, "I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!"
But Luke 22:31,32 tells us that Jesus prayed for him that his strength would not fail, that he would return from this stumbling to strengthen others.
Conclusion
There are many valuable lessons to be learned from the Lord Jesus' private teaching and conversations with his disciples.
The accounts in Mark 15, Matthew 26 and John 13 may appear to portray our Lord as being somewhat stern and blunt with his disciples. For example, when Peter asserted that he would lay down his life for his Master's sake, Jesus told him, "Truly, truly I say to you . . . will you lay down your life for my sake? The cock shall not crow till you have denied me three times."
It is when we look more carefully into the account in Luke 22 that we can see our Lord as a gentle, patient teacher – patiently waiting for Peter to come to his senses.
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat [TEV to separate good from bad / wheat from chaff]. But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail, that when you're returned, strengthen your brethren"
Brothers and Sisters, let us imitate our Lord Jesus in our lives, to be gentle, able to teach patiently and "in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil . . ." 2 Timothy 2: 24-26.

Jesus - Our Mediator

Monday, 26April2010, Hebrews 7 - 10: selected verses

"for one is God, one also is mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus"
1 Timothy 2:5 YLT

At the end of my last post two months ago entitled, "Jesus, the Son of God", I have mentioned that our Lord has accomplished three things for us, namely,

1. He is the Model of our faith,
2. He is the Mediator of our salvation and
3. He is the Master of our obedience.

I had also explained briefly on the first point, that our Lord Jesus is the Model of our Faith, for our empowerment, our endurance and most of all for our emulation as we live as testimonies for Christ in this world.

Today, I'd like to continue with the second point, that our Lord Jesus is the Mediator of our salvation. I have surveyed chapters 7 through 10 of the epistle to the Hebrews and have come across the following descriptions of what our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, has done for us:

(1) He is our High Priest

A prophecy in Psalm 110:4 tells of YeHoVaH declaring to his anointed, Messiah,

"YeHoVaH has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek".

This prophecy is quoted at least three times, in Hebrews 5:6, 7:17 and again in 7:21.

In commenting on this verse, Hebrews 7:24,25 says that our Lord Jesus, the priest who lives forever, is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him. Note carefully in these verses, the reason why Jesus can do this is because he always lives to make intercession for them.

Further, in 7:28 the writer goes on to say that our Lord Jesus has been made perfect forever. This is followed subsequently in 8:1 which tells us that Jesus is a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This helps us to understand more clearly why our Lord Jesus had said in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that "no man comes to the Father except by me". Indeed, the whole purpose of our Lord Jesus, the sinless man, the only begotten Son of God, having to live as a servant, resisting temptation, to be tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15), to learn obedience in his sufferings (Heb 5:8), is to be made perfect by God, so that all men can come to God through him.

Having obeyed his Father completely, even to the point of death on the cross, he was raised from death by God and is given a place at the right hand of God forever - where he always lives to intercede for all those who come to God through him.

Behold our Lord Jesus: he is made perfect by God to be our High Priest, forever.

(2) He ministers in the True Temple

Hebrews 8:2 says that Jesus is a minister of the holy place in God's true temple. This is not any man-made temple on earth. Instead it is the temple of God which is put up by the Lord (i.e. YeHoVaH) and not by man. This reminds us of the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (Young's Literal Translation) where he says, " have ye not known that ye are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God doth dwell in you? if any one the sanctuary of God doth waste, him shall God waste; for the sanctuary of God is holy, the which ye are".

Yes, indeed we, the body of Christ make up this temple of YeHoVaH, the true temple in which our Lord is the high priest who ministers in the holy place, the temple built by God and not by the hands of man.

Verse 6 goes on to elaborate on the ministry of our Lord Jesus in this true temple of God. It compares our Lord's ministry with that of the Levitical priests who serve under the Law of Moses. It points out to us that Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry than those earthly priests. Furthermore, he is the mediator of a better covenant than the covenant under Moses.

Similarly if we turn to chapter 9 verse 15 we read that our Lord is the mediator of a "new covenant" by means of his death. This explains for us the mean of the words, "has obtained" mentioned earlier in Heb. 8:6, telling us that this excellent ministry of our High Priest, in the true temple of YeHoVaH is made possible only by our Lord's death on the cross. It was by means of his sacrificial death, a death from which YeHoVaH God raised him, and glorified him, that Jesus, our Messiah, becomes our Mediator of this more excellent ministry and this better covenant.

Indeed, our Messiah, has come as High Priest of the good things to come, with a greater and more perfect tabernacle - not made with hands, and not of this creation! (Heb. 9:11)

Behold, our Lord Jesus: by his death, he has obtained a more excellent ministry than the earthly Levitical priests. He ministers in the true temple of YeHoVaH.

(Posting resumed on: Sun. 15-5-2010)

(3) He Offered himself to God

Finally, Hebrews 9:14 tells us that our Lord Jesus offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, through God's eternal Spirit. In doing so, his blood cleanses our conscience "from dead works" so that we may serve the living God. This further explains the assertion made two chapters earlier in Hebrews 7:24,25, that he is able to "save to the uttermost" those who come to God through him.

Furthermore, it is stated in Hebrews 10: 10-12 that this sacrifice of our Lord's body is a "once for all" sacrifice which is effective for all sins forever. No other sacrifice is ever needed again. And our Lord has been raised by God, to be seated at God's right hand and is given a transformed and glorified body, never to die again. Now, at the right hand of the throne of YeHoVaH Almighty, our Lord Jesus waits for his enemies to be subject to his authority, figuratively, to be made his footstool (v.12 and 13).

Conclusion:

In his days on earth, our Lord Jesus had always obeyed God, his Father. He always did things that pleased his Father. (John 8:49). He honoured his Father and did not seek his own glory. (John 8:49,50). He did not honour himself, but instead received honour from his Father. (John 8:54). In fact, he went about teaching his disciples that only those people who does the will of his Father will enter the kingdom of heaven!

It was because of such complete obedience to God his Father that our Lord had successfully become the Mediator between God and man.

He gave himself, his body, as the unblemished, once-for-all sacrifice to God. He was raised by God from the dead to become our eternal high-priest. He lives forever, interceding at the right hand of God, having the ability to "save to the uttermost" all who come to God through him.

And his ministry is a more excellent ministry than that of the Levitical priests on earth, for he ministers in the true temple of God, a temple not made with hands but instead comprises all of us who have died together with him and who have been made alive with him.

Today, our Lord Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God, waiting for his enemies to be subject to him. Psalm 8: 6 contains a prophecy of God giving Christ authority over all of God's creation and putting all things "under his feet",

"You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet."

The apostle Paul explained this prophecy in 1 Corinthians 15 by saying that Christ must reign until God has put all his enemies, under his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death itself. In the end, i.e. at the resurrection, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God after destroying "every rule and every authority and power". (v.20 - 28 ESV)

Dear Christian, let us hold fast to the truth: that our Lord Jesus learned to obey God in his sufferings (Heb. 5:8) and, in doing so, has been made perfect by God to be our mediator forever (Heb. 7:28).

Behold the Anointed One, the eternal high priest, the mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus.